I never met Bob Owens. I dropped comments at one or the other of his blogs over the years, but so far as I know he never knew who I am.

Nevertheless, we in the gun blogging and gun rights' communities have lost one of our own.

The sad thing is, I was discussing this matter the other day with a peer and colleague and friend at work, who was concerned about one of her crew. I suppose she expected me to pull some magic solution out of my ass, since he is also a retired NCO. I'm sure she was disappointed when I came up blank.

It isn't a feeling of sadness. You're irritable, irascible, short-tempered. Often, you feel unusually tired, often achy -- it feels like you have a bit of a cold, or maybe the flu. You're not hungry, or you're hungry but nothing tastes good, nothing is appealing.

You start having trouble sleeping. Either you can't get to sleep, or you get to sleep but wake up at 3 a.m., and can't get back to sleep. Either way, you lie awake, and your thoughts start going to dark places -- replaying humiliations from your past, or fantasizing trouble in your future.

Of course, now that you're missing sleep, you're even more tired, more cranky. People start to wonder what's wrong, but they don't ask because it's not the sort of thing one does; and you know something is wrong, but you don't talk about it because you've been taught since childhood that men just pull up their socks and get on with life. Besides, it's not like anyone can do anything -- you just need to gut it out. No one said you were going to be happy all the time.

Go read the whole thing. And look out for the signs, if your buddy, your brother, your husband father co-worker neighbor whoever is showing the signs.

He may not know what is wrong. The problem is especially acute in "macho" fields like the military, law enforcement, construction, and so forth.

I'll close with a quote of the final paragraph of Charlie Martins' essay:

If this sounds familiar, if you see yourself in this description,
you may be depressed, and yes, you can be depressed and not realize it. This is a depression screener; it doesn't take long. If you're thinking those dark thoughts, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline
is there, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, at 800-273-8255. They
understand, it's completely anonymous, and you don't have to be suicidal
to call them. And if you're of a mind to, there is a GoFundMe for Bob Owens' wife and kids.

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Welcome

Welcome to my Blog.

It consists of my thoughts on whatever I feel like sharing my thoughts about: popular culture; guns, shooting, self-defense and personal responsibility; Amateur Radio; literature; science fiction and fantasy; history; the Army and military affairs; beer, wine, and other Adult Beverages; food and cooking; current events; cats; and whatever else I feel like commenting on.

I will not be talking about my job--I don't know, offhand, what my employers policy is regarding blogs, and I do not intend to test it. It may not be the best job in the world, but it's the only one I have. I also have little interest in conspiracy theories...

Please Note: This is MY blog. I hope you enjoy reading it. I do not make any promises, however, not to offend you. I have no problem with dissent and/or disagreement, but please keep it polite, and rational.

William: "I'm sure we can all pull together, sir."Vetinari: "Oh, I do hope not. Pulling together is the aim of despotism and tyranny. Free men pull in all kinds of directions."Terry Pratchett, The Truth